cat proofing recliner chairs?

sarah ann

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Any ideas on cat proofing the recliner chairs?

I have one cat who loves to sneak under them. It worries me, as my dad is a very large guy and he always falls into the chair instead of sitting gently. 

The idea of my little girl trying to climb out of the chair as he sits down terrifies me!
 

red top rescue

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That's an excellent subject.  I don't have any ideas for you but just read the story of a little cat who was nearly killed by one.  It took him a month to recover with great vet care and human care.  Now that the US holiday weekend is over, I'll try to bump this up for more attention.  Thanks for asking.
 

catwoman707

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This is an excellent question, but a tough one, one that I don't know the answer to. 

Red top's comment about a story she had just read was mine. 

The thing is, when this happened to little Zubie, a 6 week old little boy who was in one of my foster's care, she never even saw him go near the chair, but when she closed it to get up, he got his head smashed and it nearly killed him, causing brain swelling/trauma, temp neurological damage and a LARGE vet bill, not to mention a traumatized foster mom!

The only thing I can think of would be to somehow attach fabric so there is no way for a cat to go under it.

Like for instance, and not even sure this would work the way it might in my mind, but say for instance taking a piece of heavy fabric, one that , setting the chair on it, and opening the chair up, then custom cut it so that it creates a skirt that is sewn onto the underside completely, including the upper part of the foot/leg rest.

Not sure if this will still allow a cat to be close enough that it can still be closed in the chair though.

This is a tough one for sure!

AND, when I went through this with Zubie and his vet, she told me this is NOT uncommon, and many times they are actually killed.

Scary, no doubt about that.
 

red top rescue

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I will never have a recliner chair for that very reason.  But this does make me think that in my instructions to adop[ters, it's something I should mention!
 

MoochNNoodles

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I will look tomorrow; but I do believe my DD's child size recliner is fully enclosed on the bottom with fabric.  I'll see if I can get some pictures. (Bear with me though; tomorrow has a lot scheduled.
)
 

mservant

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Big 
​ of mine.   I wish I had an answer:  I worked with many people over the years who had recliner chairs, or were providing other people with them.  News of small animals and also young children being injured or killed was not unusual.  Why production companies do not need to include some kind of locking / cut out mechanism for when something is obstructing the chair movement is hard to understand.  All responsibility currently lies with the person using the chairs and their taking care - assuming they have realized the risks to start with.   Fully enclosing the chair mechanism with fabric, or making the area under the chair very unappealing to the cat are the only things I can think of.
 

ondine

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@ Sarah Ann - until they fix the problem at the manufacturing level, maybe you could put something under the chair that smells bad to the cat (citrus or mothballs). You might also try those spikes usually used in gardens. The problem is that cats love hidey holes and the bottom of a recliner is a perfect one.
 
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MoochNNoodles

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I will look tomorrow; but I do believe my DD's child size recliner is fully enclosed on the bottom with fabric.  I'll see if I can get some pictures. (Bear with me though; tomorrow has a lot scheduled.
)
I haven't completely forgotten about looking at my DD's chair.  it's just in her bedroom and I seem to only remember after she is in bed for the night...sorry!!
 
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sarah ann

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Bumping this back up!  Noodles, I would love to see pictures!
 
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